Gawie Combrinck and Nico Bell took the honours on day two of the joBerg2c mountain bike race today, reaching the Reitz Showgrounds ahead of Matthys Beukes, the first solo rider.
The NAD Pro pair finished the 93km stage, the first competitive one after yesterday’s neutral day, in 3 hours 1 minute and 25 seconds.
Shaun-Nick Bester and Declan Sidey were second and Alan Gordon and Timothy Hammond third.
“It’s always good to start the tour with a win. We’re very happy with how today turned out,” said Combrinck.
NAD Pro’s Nico Bell (left) and Gawie Combrinck, pictured here after winning the 2016 joBerg2c, won stage two at the Reitz Showgrounds today. Photo: Full Stop Communications
Bell agreed and said they were glad to take the win. “We also won the first stage last year and gained some time on our competitors.
“We are here to win overall so we had to make sure we got time and won the stage.”
Combrinck said it had been a bit of a fight to get in front right after the tech zone, but from there it had been quite easy.
“Matthys made it a bit harder about 15km in and created a gap ahead of the bunch.
“Then, about 20km in, it was the start of a long and bumpy singletrack section where Nico and I made it quite hard.”
They caught up with Beukes and on the long drags around the 20 and 25km marks managed to create a gap between them and the rest of the field.
“From there we drove it hard past the first water point to open the gap. When we reached the open roads we rode at a steady and hard pace that we could comfortably keep to the end.
“Matthys was with us and just stayed there until the finish line.”
Combrinck said because they had competed in the race a few times they knew the stage was harder than it looked on paper, which suited them well.
“The hard section early on always breaks up the bunch and if you’re not in a group you could spend a lot of energy chasing. It was our plan to attack and get time.”
Combrinck felt the route was flat and fast. With Bell at the front, turning a big gear, it suited them well; almost like a road race with a rather high average speed, he added.
The most challenging part for him was when they encountered some muddy patches.
“Some of the trails were also a bit washed out, leaving a few exposed rocks. We took it easy there to make sure we didn’t pick up any mechanicals.”
Tomorrow’s third stage, from Reitz to Sterkfontein Dam, is 122km long.
“It could be a long day. Depending on the wind, we may be out there for a while. Our plan is to stay out of trouble, keep healthy and gain time where can,” said Combrinck.
Bell also expects a hard stage. “There are lots of open roads at the beginning. We’re looking to save energy and recover, and if there is an opportunity gain some more time.”
